Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/661678
62 / the tasting panel / april 2016 Beyond the conservative use of only 30 percent new French oak, Sequoia Grove's Chardonnay also undergoes no secondary malolactic fermentation. Moll Hill also finds that as a winemaker, the Chardonnay is one of the more difficult wines to craft. "White wine is challenging, she explains. "Like all varietals, the work has to be done in the vineyard, especially the non-malolactic Chardonnay. You need to have impec- cable fruit coming into the winery. We craft our wines in an elegant style that highlights the fruit and doesn't cover it up in oak." The same commitment to food- friendly and elegant winemaking can be found in Sequoia Grove's Cabernet Sauvignon. Hill says, "A cool thing about our two estate properties is that they show the two sides of Rutherford. Sequoia Grove's original estate is in western Rutherford. The soil is similar to the Rutherford Bench, alluvial soil that washed off the Mayacamas Mountains. Our newer estate property, Tonella, is on the eastern side, and that soil is quite different and more influ- enced by the Vaca Mountains." Much of the nationally-distributed Cabernet Sauvignon is composed of fruit from these two vineyards—the rest of the blend coming from such pedigreed sites as Stagecoach Vineyard, Morisoli, Beckstoffer George III and others. Victor Dedushaj, General Manager at New York's Benjamin Steakhouse and The Sea Fire Grill, offers the Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon by the bottle, his thoughts echoing Lauren's and Peter's. He says, "The Cabernet is a beautiful, classic Cab from Napa . . . We do really well with Sequoia Grove because I think the quality for the price is incredible." He finds that the traditional pairing of Napa Cab and a hearty steak works well for the wine. "I had it with rib eye last night and it's a fantastic match," he says. But he believes there's room for less conventional couplings as well. For example, he's fond of enjoying the Cabernet alongside the blackened Montauk swordfish served at The Sea Fire Grill, as the wine is elegant and balanced enough to not overwhelm the fish. Beyond their first-level Cabernet, Sequoia Grove also produces their flagship wine Cambium in national distribution, as well as a selection of vineyard designates sold direct-to- consumer. President and Director of Winemaking Mike Trujillo says, "A PHOTO: ALEXANDER RUBIN PHOTO COURTESY OF SEQUOIA GROVE Lauren Helm, Lead Sommelier at St. Helena's Harvest Table, the dining component of Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer, has kept Sequoia Grove's Chardonnay on her by-the-glass list since the restaurant's inception. Sequoia Grove's President and Director of Winemaking, Mike Trujillo. "WE'RE GOING TO NURTURE CAMBIUM SLOWLY TO BECOME OUR ICON WINE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO GROWING THAT LABEL."